Cinematic Releases: Captain America - The Winter Soldier

Marvel's Phase Two continues with Captain America: The Winter Soldier

"My mom told me to
always wear protection.
Is this what she meant?"
Our anxiety can finally subside now that the second Captain America movie has finally been released with enough action to satisfy our craving for massive explosions, hand to hand combat, and tons of gun play. 

The sequel abandons the nostalgic patriotism of the first in favor of a more straight forward story that feels like a bad ass action epic that just so happens to feature iconic comic book characters. The humor of The Avengers is mostly missing as Captain America goes head to head with a mysterious new enemy that's slowly revealed as someone from his past. 

The Winter Soldier (despite its comic book foundation) favors a new style for the Marvel Universe of films. There are still the huge gunships, perfectly choreographed fight sequences, unbelievably awesome graphics, and actors that finally appear to be perfectly at home in their respective roles. But, this time around, the movie has a totally different gritty flavor and more reality based flair that feels like something ripped right from a Michael Mann movie. The characters are hardened from their past experiences while the earnest physicality put in to the choreographed sequences is better all around as Johansson and Evans slip right back in to character with perfection and ease. 

"Haha. Funny.
Call me The Crow one more time
and you're gonna eat a fist."
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a tale that will hit close to home with its technology based elements and its modern commentary on today's governmental issues. The plot is not hard to figure out but its definitely one that's borrowed heavily from the current topics of NSA spying and the domestic fear of an all seeing government and its tyrannical rule. After the first phase of Marvel movies, The Winter Soldier comes full circle with an amplified sense of how comic book movies can stay relevant and not just be excused as fantastical fodder for fan boys. 

Comparatively, this could be viewed by some as Marvel's best movie yet and rightly so. I wouldn't go quite that far. There are a few stumbling blocks and some minor flow issues. However, The Winter Soldier brings the action full force while giving starving audiences exactly what they want: Captain America beating the living hell out of anyone that gets in his way and Black Widow flaunting herself all over the screen.


-Chris George